The Welsh Government opened a consultation on its plans to change Building Regulations in Wales on 26 August 2025, running until 17 November 20251. The consultation covers Part L (conservation of fuel and power), Part F (ventilation) and Part O (overheating), together with the associated Approved Document guidance1. The page states that the consultation has ended1.
The stated aim is to improve energy efficiency standards in new and existing homes and buildings1. The Welsh Government describes the exercise as consulting on the impacts of changes to Part L, and sets out the scope as follows1:
"We want your views on our plans to improve energy efficiency standards in new and existing homes and buildings."
Published alongside the consultation were a consultation document, consultation versions of Approved Document F, Approved Document L volume 1, Approved Document L volume 2 and Approved Document O, and a consultation stage impact assessment1. The file sizes given are 1 MB for the consultation document, 2 MB each for Approved Document F and the two volumes of Approved Document L, 613 KB for Approved Document O and 544 KB for the impact assessment1.
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Consultation document | 1 MB |
| Approved Document F: consultation version | 2 MB |
| Approved Document L volume 1: consultation version | 2 MB |
| Approved Document L volume 2: consultation version | 2 MB |
| Approved Document O: consultation version | 613 KB |
| Building Regulations review: consultation stage impact assessment | 544 KB |
A summary of responses has since been published, listed at 1 MB, and the page carries a last updated date of 27 February 20261. The page does not state what the summary of responses concludes, and no decision or timetable for new standards has been reported1.
Why it matters for households
Part L sets the conservation of fuel and power requirements that new and existing homes in Wales are built and renovated to, so any change to it bears on how much energy a dwelling needs to stay warm. Part F governs ventilation, which interacts with how airtight a home is, and Part O addresses overheating, which affects how a home performs in warm weather. For a household, the practical effect of a review like this is felt through the standards applied to a new build, an extension or a renovation, and through the fabric and glazing specifications that follow from them. The consultation documents set out proposed versions of the guidance rather than final rules, so the requirements a home is actually assessed against have not changed on the basis of this exercise alone. The Welsh Government's own summary of responses is now published, but what it says about the balance of views, and what ministers intend to do as a result, has not been reported here.
What happens next
The consultation period ran from 26 August 2025 to 17 November 2025 and has ended1. A summary of responses is published on the consultation page, and the page was last updated on 27 February 20261. No further steps, and no date for revised Approved Documents or for commencement of any new standards, are given1.